[Spoilers] Alhambram Comes Back for Moor, playing as Arabic-Moorish Civilization

[Alhambram]

Any plans where you will put that next Settler?

Turn 86:

I do consider between 2 locations, ultimately I think location closest Granada, between horse and crab tile. Because I need more campus and I shall chop that forest between 2 mountains and toss down campus there.
   
Builder pastured horse tile nearby Valencia, next turn return to forest and then turn 88 chop. Celestial Navigation finished, start apprenticeship. After apprenticeship I shall start stirrups. 
Next turn policy swap, also I shall start researching Military Training (4 turns) instead feudalism. Because at next policy swap I am leaving out Ilkum, then when Military Training complete, put back in Ilkum and mass produce builders to finish after Feudalism for 5 charge builders. Also I need to mass produce heavy chariots before finishing Stirrups and wait for mercenaries (after Feudalism) to finish so I can upgrade them in Mamluks for 90 gold per unit. I shall purchase marsh tile next turn for 150 gold at Granada, after that save up gold for Mamluks. 

And Japper made his move:
   
You can still put coastal city between tea and cow tile, with aqueduct it can become a semi-decent city. As for possible Mamluk rush, Japper is the target. He is mass building campuses and baths in his cities. Just imagine if that all campuses fall in Arabian hands! Also our two empires is easier to integrate than CFCJetserfool where our empires are separated by desert. Finally although I am last in domination score, it is close behind Japper. So he isn't mass building units either. I plan to do that with heavy chariots soon. But my declaration of war would be between turn 100-110, many things can happen yet before that.

I think that this PBEM is bit boring for lurkers compared with other PBEM's. Everyone for some reason are in builder modus, strongest player currently is Krill with 300 domination score plus a Great General, I am weakest with roughly 160 domination points (although some injured units due barb trouble). Normally you would except some fireworks from Rome and Greece in classical age which only Krill did with war against CFCJesterfool. The latter who is now a peg down and me are soon reaching age where our civilization are at strongest point. Hopefully I can deliver some fireworks with Mamluks. After that, closer we comes at modern era, stronger Pindicator get and that is very bad considering his current score and yields.

Pindicator sports 37 science per turn and staggering 40 culture per turn, next is Japper with 39 science (thanks that bunch of campuses) and roughly 36 culture. Then I comes with 32 science and 19 culture while Krill got 24 science and 20 culture. It is worth to mention that I have most tech of all players yet despite having lower science score for a while. It is clear that I lacks in culture department, I did plan a bit ahead, next district in Cordoba is going be theater district, between city and commercial district. It gains adjacent bonus from Stonehenge, not much but every bit helps. Currently nobody is racing for Great Writers, I might take some look.

[rho21]

Any coastal city is going to want a defender or walls: there was a galley poking around south of Valencia on T85.

So I get the impression that this map is roughly a circle, with a mediterranean sea and everyone adjacent to two neighbours. If so, we've possibly got the best starting position from a strategic perspective, with the Almerian subcontinent for territory plus nice defensible land borders with our neighbours. This argues in favour of a strong navy for defence.

[Alhambram]

Turn 87:

Yes rho21, you got a point. Currently I am planning to chop 2 galleys for eureka for shipbuilding and using 100% production overflow. Also I plan to use Limes at certain point.
Yes, map seem to be round with everyone getting 2 neighbors. 

Defensive Tactics complete, start Military Training. I won't finish it till I finish settler in Granada which I shall start producing next turn, it should take 4/5 turns. When Military training has 1 turn left, I swap to Feudalism and then put Military Training back in when settler is one turn before completion.
   
I also want chop out galley in Almeria, builder got delayed with 1 turn due leaving out Ilkum. With next policy swap, leave out Maritime Industries and colonization, Ilkum and Maneuver in. When finishing Feudalism, swap to serfdom instead Ilkum, also put in Limes so I can use 5 charged builders to chop out walls and put overflow in other things.

Next turn I gain a envoy from generating envoy points. I shall put it in Valletta for 2 extra production for units in Granada, starting with settler next turn.

I am thinking about Almeria, I can use overflow from chopping galley to produce another settler, moreover culture picker is going pick that forested plain hill 2 tiles south soon. I can also chop that and then mine it or harvest stone resource and use remaining charge for something else.
Settler from Almeria shall fill out this peninsula. 

Internationally Pindicator founded his 6th city and with conquered Brussels he has 7 cities now.
Japper and Krill both 6 cities. I have 5 as you can see. CFCJesterfool 4 cities. Chevalier, Thanks for attending me the need to found more cities.

Previous turn I did state culture and science per turn, but I didn't write up and made roughly assume based on my memory, naturally it is incorrect. So I did write up everything now. 

Science:
Alhambram, 18 tech, 32,7
Japper       , 17 tech, 37,1
Pindicator  , 16 tech, 34,6
Krill           , 15 tech, 24,9
CFCJester  , 15 tech, 17,0

Culture:
Pindicator  ,14 civic, 40,3
Japper       ,13 civic, 32,4
Alhambram,12 civic, 19,4
Krill           ,11 civic, 20,1
CFCJester  ,11 civic, 14,7

[Alhambram]

Turn 88:

Got envoy and I put it in Valletta for extra production in Granada, it finishes shrine and start settler (4 turns). Since I got shrine, what should I do? 150 faith for missionary to get more coin (short term) or wait for 500 faith and get Madrasa for 5 science and 2 faith per turn (long term)?
Chopped forest at Valencia, finished galley, but overflow is disappointing due low production at Valencia, 11 turns to complete holy site...in hindsight maybe it was better to build lumber mill and chop forest at later point. But done is done...
   
More positive is harvesting marsh which boosted food in Granada, next turn farm tile for inspiration of Feudalism.
I am swapping from Military Training to Feudalism next turn to delay finishing Military Training a bit till I chopped out forest at Almeria for galley. 
And of barbs only one redlined swordsman left, my healthy swordsman shall make beeline for camp (no spear since I killed it as well) and raze it before it spawns more trouble.

[Alhambram]

Turn 87:

Bad news: my archer lost dice roll against barb swordsman and is dead.  My swordsman took revenge for my archer, but it mean that my military score dropped to dangerous level, level that others start think that I am too weak to defend.
   
Swapped away Military Training and start Feudalism, builder south of Granada improved farm, completing the feudalism diamond which shall take effect when I finish researching Feudalism.

I shall be honest: I don't feel the flow of this PBEM going in my direction. Hopefully I can change it when I get mamluks. But I am making too many mistakes, for example Valencia.
   
After chop of forest and my disappointment that it take so long to complete holy site. I reviewed Valencia and concluded that it was better after all to settle upon coffee. I did settle upon marsh, theoretically it could be harvested and together with other marsh and former chopped forest tile I could form feudalism triangle. Moreover that spot is closer hills in west for more production, finally I could put decent campus site NE of Granada's campus. But I was obsessed by horse tile and made this mistake, instead chopping out galley I could chop walls instead with Limes to get same effect. Well I do blame myself for this.
I may have won PBEM 2, but I still need to learn many things.

[Alhambram]

Turn 90 and 91:

Turn 90, builder finished in Almeria, start galley while builder moves to forested tile.

Turn 91, apprenticeship finished and all mines gains 1 extra . Builder chopped galley and finished it instantly (eureka for shipbuilding) and overflows to settler. Next turn builder moves upon hill forest tile to chop it at turn 93.
So I swap back to military training next turn and use chop at turn 93 before doing any policy change to complete settler. Builder shall use last charge to mine hill, turning it in 14 tile.
   
Stone tile at Almeria remains for purpose to harvest with Limes policy card equipped in future. At Granada settler finishes next turn and I shall build granary to deal with housing problem at Granada.
I am now researching Stirrups, need to build some heavy chariots, but massproducing builders before finishing feudalism comes first. 
So I shall keep Stirrups at one turn to finish including eureka to get sizable heavy chariot army first.

International news came from CFCJesterfool for 2 reasons, firstly:
   
He founded a new city, it wasn't located at my pink dot plan, so it is still possible. I am going for that pink dot area after I filled up Vilnius/Almeria peninsula.
Second reason is that he signed DoF with Krill, so he can go back to builder mode for 30 turns without worrying about Krill.

[Alhambram]

Turn 92:

Finished settler and he shall found new city at turn 97:
   
And I swap civic to Military Training, next turn chop forest near Almeria for another settler.
   
At very north my swordsman found that accursed barb camp which did plague my civilization past turns, at turn 94 I shall get rid of it, only if it don't spam new units.

Major news internationally is Pindicator grabbing Great Scientist Omar Khayyam, that is 2 free eureka and 1 inspiration from random medieval/renaissance tech/civic. And next GS is...
   
Galilei who grant 250 science for every adjacent mountain, using him at my campus tile grants me 500 science, good for one whole renaissance tech.
Japper got advantage here with most points and 4 GSP per turn due Japper tossing down campuses over his entire empire. I need another campus for inspiration of Recorded History and then run campus projects to claim Galilei.
Alternatively I can take his campuses with mamluks.

[Alhambram]

Turn 93:

Finished Military Training, I am holding envoy for a while, don't see a good reason to put it in one of city states (Almost all of city states got 1 envoy from me, Zanzibar 4).
Chopped forested hill near Almeria and settler is finished instantly, he shall found new city at turn 95, so I shall have 7 cities at turn 97.
   
Colonization and maritime industries out, Ilkum and Maneuver in. I shall delay completion of Feudalism till I am satisfied about amount builders close to finishing (Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Almeria).
When builder is almost complete in one of cities, while other cities still need bit more time, I can start producing heavy chariots in those cities.
I did purchase missionary, he shall convert Valencia first and then newest cities for quick gold from Church Property. 
DoF with Krill ended and I re-offered him a new one. I have lowest military power while Krill got highest, I don't want bring Krill upon idea to send his GG powered army towards me over sea.

Some close ups of locations and plans what to do with districts:
   
   
   
And my galley uncovered this:
   
This so called canal city fit in my dotmap and it is strategically important location. That location controls passage over sea from west to east. If I want found that city, first thing to do is produce strong navy to protect that city.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

I'm sort of intrigued by the possibilities of a strong navy. If everyone's on this inland sea, you could do like Sullla did in PBEM1 and bypass strong defenses (like Japper's border city) entirely and land in his core.

And, of course, an enemy could do the same to us (like you've noted), so it's definitely wise to keep galleys out and patrolling.

[Alhambram]

I'm sort of intrigued by the possibilities of a strong navy. If everyone's on this inland sea, you could do like Sullla did in PBEM1 and bypass strong defenses (like Japper's border city) entirely and land in his core.

And, of course, an enemy could do the same to us (like you've noted), so it's definitely wise to keep galleys out and patrolling.

Doing it to Japper unnoticed similar what Sulla did against TheArchduke's core is difficult, Fenris is a coastal city and Japper shall see my army coming nevertheless. 

Turn 94:

Alarm bells are ringing, Krill rejected my DoF offer. My galley shall patrol sea between me and Krill to check for possible military activity. (remember Krill got DoF with Jester, obvious target for him after Jester is me or Pindicator)
I offered my ivory for his citrus to check Krill further what his intentions is. Rejecting means chance that Krill want attack me is high.
   
Finished commercial district in Cordoba and my GPT rises. I am still pending between should I purchase trader (285)or save up gold for Mamluk upgrade?
Next turn swap away from Feudalism and Granada shall start builder (3 turns according the information). Barb camp got razed, that is 50 extra.